U.S. Naval Officer Searching for Family of World War II Officer to Return Bluejacket’s Manual

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul Schwanke is trying to find the family of a World War II Naval officer so he can return to his family his Bluejacket’s Manual.

“The Navy Bluejacket’s Manual is given to each recruit shortly after they arrive at boot camp, and contains the basic information that every new sailor needs to know about their new career,” said Chief Petty Officer Paul Schwanke. “Sailors are required to write their name or stencil it on the inside cover.”

Part IV of the 1918 Sixth Edition of the Bluejacket’s Manual is titled “A Short Talk With Chief Petty Officers”.

“Many of today’s US Navy Chief Petty Officers buy this manual to hold onto a piece of Navy heritage and read section IV each time they need the guidance given to naval officers 100 years ago,” he explained

Officer Schwanke purchased this Bluejacket’s Manual in December

Schwanke tells WLHR News he purchased a vintage copy of the Bluejacket’s Manual in December of 2020 from an online auction.

However, after receiving the manual, he said he saw the inscription, John G. Goss, written inside the front cover and his full name written inside of the back cover.

Just like all new recruits, Chief Petty Officer John Gibson Goss received a Bluejacket’s Manual when he enlisted in the Navy in February 1923. Schwanke thought his family might want to have it back. So he began a search to find John Goss’ family.

“Myself and a co-worker and fellow Chief Petty Officer, Kate Ivey, investigated the name and we were surprised at the information we found online via genealogy websites,” he said.

Chief Petty Officer John Gibson Goss, according to their research, was born in Elbert County and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Royston.

And it turns out Goss had a long career in the U.S. Navy and saw battle in World War II. He enlisted in 1923 and retired in 1952 after about 30 years of service.

John Goss, his wife and mother pose for a photo in 1923. Courtesy: Find a Grave.com.

“He served aboard the USS Maury, one of the most decorated US Navy Destroyers in World War II. The USS Maury served in the Pacific Ocean for the entire duration of the war from the raids at the Marshall Islands and Midway to the Battle of Leyte Gulf,” Schwanke noted.

According to Schwanke normally, in Chief Goss’s time, upon entering the Navy, Sailors would spend their entire career aboard the same vessel.

“It is likely that Chief Petty Officer John Goss spent every day from December 1941 to September 1945 onboard the USS Maury and if true, then he survived the most brutal Naval battles in history and likely led his Sailors to victory for over four years,” he said.

That’s why officers Schwanke and Ivey would like to get in touch with the family of Chief Petty Officer John Gibson Goss so they can return to them John Goss’ Bluejacket’s Manual.

Additional headstone on the grave of U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer John G. Goss. Courtesy FindaGrave.com

“I understand the importance of having items of family members who served their country to remember them by. My own father, grandfather, and great grandfather all served in the military. Sailors like Chief Goss fought, kept the United States free, and paved the way for all Chief Petty Officers today,” he said.

If you have any information on Chief Goss’s family or if he is a relative of yours, Officer Schwanke would like to hear from you. You can email him at [email protected].